Natural Weight Gainer: Do they have any side effects?

In today’s generation where everyone is finding a way to lose weight, some of us are still trying to gain enough for the perfect BMI. It’s like gaining weight is as difficult as losing weight.  

Though body positivity is ruling its way through our hearts; for some, it’s just a way to build confidence. Along with workouts, one needs a wholesome diet to gain weight. Including whole foods or weight-gaining food items or the weight gainer is the best way to get that required BMI.  

Few ways to gain weight:

• Eat more frequently or have a maximum of five meals a day: Eating more is eating more calories than you can burn.
• Have a nutrient-rich diet: A diet having more fibrous foods, carbohydrate-rich, protein-rich ( for muscle building and bulk). Remember every bite counts.
• Have smoothies, shakes: Check on what you drink. Drinking beverages like coffee, soda contains fewer calories and is not a stomachful. Instead, try smoothies and shakes with high-calorie content.
• Exercise and weight training: Workout at least thrice a week to keep the muscles toned and burn away any extra unwanted fats. This also keeps the calorie intake in control.
• Don’t take yourself on regular dessert treats: Gaining calories does not mean adding unwanted sugar to the diet, this may adversely affect the weight gain.
• Add additional food like extras to your meal: Additions like scrambled eggs, cheese, etc.

What to avoid during weight gain?

Increasing intake of calories doesn’t mean cutting out various habits like:

• Low vegetable diet: This inturn reduces the vitamins and minerals necessary for body functioning.
• Avoiding cardio: Cardiovascular fitness is very crucial while gaining weight this does not allow the excess fat content in the body to store in places like blood vessels.
• Don’t lose hope: Activities like these take time, don’t give up.  

Some natural Weight Gainer:

Weight gaining can be done by various foods. Instead of using additional supplements like protein powder, mass gaining healthy drinks; some natural foods can be consumed.

1. Eggs: They have a high protein content. Eating the yolk is considered more useful than egg white.
2. Nuts: Nuts are best for snaking, be it toasted or raw. They contain healthy oils and small amounts of sugar like cashews, almonds, walnut, peanut, etc. Nut butter like peanut butter is also great as a weight gainer.  
3. Dry Fruits: Containing high amounts of calories stored in the form of antioxidants and micronutrients. It is also rich in sugar as it is naturally present in these fruits, like cranberries, pineapple, blueberries, prunes.
4. Milk: It is a nutrient-rich superfood, containing a balance of protein, carbohydrate, sugar, some amounts of vitamins and minerals like calcium. It helps in both weight gaining and muscle building. It contains casein and whey proteins making it a rich source of protein.  
5. Shakes and smoothies: Protein-rich smoothies are the best way to gain weight. Some smoothies are easy to make like
   • Peanut butter and banana smoothie: ¾ cup of yogurt, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter. 1 cup milk, 1 banana, and blend to the required consistency.
   • Chocolate banana smoothie
   • Strawberry banana, blueberry smoothie
   • Vanilla blueberry shake

     These require milk, yogurt, ice, and namely ingredients mentioned in the names like chocolate banana smoothie requires 1 banana, dark chocolate.  

6. Banana: It acts as a whole food, rich in iron, potassium, antioxidants. Consuming it additionally with milk, in smoothies increases its nutritional content helping in weight gain.
7. Meat: Usually meat contains a high amount of protein preferably red meat or steak. It contains an amino acid called leucine which in our body stimulates muscle protein synthesis adding new muscle tissues. It contains enough fat and calories to increase weight.  
8. Salmon: It contains healthy fats and acts as a good source of omega 3
9. Rice: High in carbohydrates, when consumed along with vegetable rice acts as a superfood. It has a high-calorie content.  
10. Potatoes: A great source of starch, it acts as a good source of B6 vitamin too. Consuming it is an effective way of weight gain.

Other such foods are:

• Corn
• Beans
• Legumes
• Quinoa
• Sweet potato
• Pasta
• Whole-grain cereal
• Whole-grain bread.  

11. Cheese: Containing high amounts of fats, protein, carbohydrates, calcium. Consume high-fat cheese for weight gain.
12. Protein supplements: They are usually used by athletics for gaining muscle and bulk. Mass gaining supplements like protein powder are used. Protein shakes taken in diet along with workout acts as an amazing mass gainer.
    Whey protein supplements are a cost-effective and easy way of mass gain. Flaxseeds are also useful.  
13. Avocado: are healthy fat. They have vitamins and minerals too. It can be taken along with salads, snacks, sandwiches, wraps, etc.
14. Full Fat Yogurt: Being a milk product, it is high in calcium, protein, carbs, fat. A Greek yogurt is a healthy option as it has low sugar. It can also be used for smoothies.
15. Cereal Bars: contain whole grains, nuts, caramel which are high in calorie content acting as a stomach full meal.
16. Dark Chocolate: Having very little sugar content. They are healthy replacements for chocolate and sugar rush. The carbohydrates when consumed in addition to milk increases its national content.

FAQs

Ques. What is the best supplementary weight gainer?
Ans. My Protein, Optimum Nutrition, GNC, MuscleBlaze are some of the best supplementary weight gainers.   

Ques. What does it mean to be underweight?
Ans. An underweight person is someone who has their Body Mass Index (BMI) less than 18.5. In such cases, a person might need to gain weight. At times an underweight person might also be healthy. It can be due to a low-calorie diet.  

Being underweight might cause risks:
Nausea
Fatigue
Fainting
Hair loss
Skin drying, burns, etc

Ques. What is BMI?
Ans. BMI is abbreviation for Body Mass Index. It is the value of body fat derived from a person’s height and weight.  
It is the body mass divided by the square of body height.  

           BMI = m/h²   m= mass of body h = height of body.

Ques. What is the normal BMI?
Ans. The normal BMI of a  healthy person ranges from 18.5-24.9.

Ques. How to quickly gain weight?
Ans. One can increase the intake of calories to up to 1,000 calories and more a day. This can be done either by consuming natural or organic food or protein supplements.  

Ques. Does having a lean figure mean you are underweight?
Ans. No being lean always does not mean underweight. One can be lean and healthy.

Ques. What would be the best exercise for weight gain?
Ans. The best way to gain weight is weight training. It includes various exercises like bench press, pushups, pullups, squats, curls, dips.  

Ques. Can someone be skinny and still weigh more?
Ans. Yes, a person might be skinny but weighs more because of heavier bones. It could also be if the muscles are dense, they appear slimmer and the mass remains the same.

A journey like weight gain can be overwhelming but one mustn’t lose hope. Having a calorie-rich and healthy diet along with a workout will help in effective and sufficient weight gain.